Scott Leibowitz

Scott Leibowitz

Scott Leibowitz, MD is the Medical Director of Behavioral Health for Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s THRIVE gender development program. He also serves on the faculty at OSU College of Medicine where he is an expert educator for the Longitudinal Group component of the curriculum. Dr. Leibowitz has been working with gender diverse and transgender youth across all phases of development since 2009 and was faculty in two prior multidisciplinary gender identity clinics in pediatric academic medical centers- both in Boston and Chicago. He is a member of the core faculty for the World Professional Association of Transgender Health’s Global Education Initiative and is the co-chairman of the sexual orientation and gender identity issues committee for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Anna Kerlek, MD and Shane Gahn will also be presenting with Dr. Liebowitz.

Objectives:1. Participants will be given an overview of the developmental considerations when working with trans and gender diverse youth in a behavioral health setting from early childhood into young adulthood.
2. Participants will develop a working knowledge of the prevalence of co-occurring mental health disorders and concerns in transgender and gender diverse youth, which may include depression, suicidal ideations/behaviors, self-injury, anxiety, trauma exposure, substance use challenges, eating disorders, and autism spectrum disorder.
3. Participants will understand the importance of an affirmative assessment and treatment approach to helping transgender and gender diverse youth develop positive gender identity integration, designed to promote self-acceptance, family acceptance, and increased resilience and coping.